Climate documentary to hit home for coastal residents

Published: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 11:13 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 11:13 a.m.

South Louisiana residents facing disastrous levels of coastal land loss may see echoes of their own situation in the Academy Award nominated documentary “Sun Come Up.”

The documentary, which will be screened at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux next month, follows inhabitants of the Carteret Islands just north of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, as they realize that rising sea levels mean they must leave their ancestral lands to find a new home. The islanders are some of the world’s first forced climate migrants, a trend that scientists believe will continue as sea levels rise. The film was directed by Jennifer Redfearn.

Screenings of the documentary are being held across the country and are sponsored by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. But local officials sponsoring the screening believe it may hit home hardest with residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

The documentary will be screened at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 in Peltier Auditorium at Nicholls State University. The screening is free. After the film, there will be a discussion about it and actions viewers can take to respond to climate change issues.

The screening is being hosted by Catholic Charities of Houma-Thibodaux, Nicholls State and the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program.

Rob Gorman, director of Catholic Charities of Houma-Thibodaux, said he decided to bring a screening of the film to Lafourche, because watching the trailer for the film, “I see south Louisiana right now.”

Catholic Charities has long recognized the challenges south Louisiana faces from coastal erosion, becoming a founding member of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana nonprofit coastal advocacy group, Gorman said.

Louisiana’s land loss problems go beyond sea level rise, but it is definitely a factor that could help lead to the loss of coastal communities in the near future.

After the Mississippi River was leveed in to prevent flooding decades ago, with no replenishing sediment from river floods, the Louisiana delta began gradually sinking. This sinking combined with erosion from salt water intrusion and canals cut for industry has led to the rapid deterioration of Louisiana’s coastal delta.

The gradual sinking of the coast combined with rising waters means the Gulf Coast has some of the highest rates of sea level rise in the nation, according to LSU researchers.

Sea level is rising at a rate of 0.36 inches per year in southern Louisiana, which means relative sea level is rising 3 feet per century, according to LSU researchers. Because land is so low in south Louisiana, that could inundate some coastal communities.

“It is having a big impact, not only because the sea level has been rising, but because we’ve been sinking for years,” said Kerry St. Pé, director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program.

Some relocation is already happening in south Louisiana, as residents leave communities such as Isle de Jean Charles and Dulac in Terrebonne that have flooded repeatedly from storms, Gorman said.

“We’ve got our own climate migrants right now with the problems we’re facing from sea level rise, subsidence and erosion,” Gorman said.

One of the tribal members says of the relocation, “If everybody moves, I think I’ll be the last man to put my feet on the island before moving away.”

St. Pé said it’s a phrase he’s heard echoed in repeatedly flooded communities in the Barataria-Terrebonne estuary, which has one of the highest rate of land loss in the world.

“I was absolutely struck by the similarity between our situation and these islanders that are being inundated because of climate change. It hit home. It’s extremely relevant,” St. Pé said.

While climate change has been politically controversial, St. Pé and Gorman said scientific consensus agrees that sea level is rising.

It is important to have a dialog about climate change in Terrebonne and Lafourche, where the impacts will be drastic, and may affect residents’ ability to continue living here in the future.

“I hope we get a nice, diverse audience, from Nicholls students, to concerned adults, to skeptics,” Gorman said.

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.

<p>South Louisiana residents facing disastrous levels of coastal land loss may see echoes of their own situation in the Academy Award nominated documentary “Sun Come Up.”</p><p>The documentary, which will be screened at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux next month, follows inhabitants of the Carteret Islands just north of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, as they realize that rising sea levels mean they must leave their ancestral lands to find a new home. The islanders are some of the world's first forced climate migrants, a trend that scientists believe will continue as sea levels rise. The film was directed by Jennifer Redfearn.</p><p>Screenings of the documentary are being held across the country and are sponsored by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. But local officials sponsoring the screening believe it may hit home hardest with residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.</p><p>The documentary will be screened at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 in Peltier Auditorium at Nicholls State University. The screening is free. After the film, there will be a discussion about it and actions viewers can take to respond to climate change issues.</p><p>The screening is being hosted by Catholic Charities of Houma-Thibodaux, Nicholls State and the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program.</p><p>Rob Gorman, director of Catholic Charities of Houma-Thibodaux, said he decided to bring a screening of the film to Lafourche, because watching the trailer for the film, “I see south Louisiana right now.”</p><p>Catholic Charities has long recognized the challenges south Louisiana faces from coastal erosion, becoming a founding member of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana nonprofit coastal advocacy group, Gorman said.</p><p>Louisiana's land loss problems go beyond sea level rise, but it is definitely a factor that could help lead to the loss of coastal communities in the near future.</p><p>After the Mississippi River was leveed in to prevent flooding decades ago, with no replenishing sediment from river floods, the Louisiana delta began gradually sinking. This sinking combined with erosion from salt water intrusion and canals cut for industry has led to the rapid deterioration of Louisiana's coastal delta.</p><p>The gradual sinking of the coast combined with rising waters means the Gulf Coast has some of the highest rates of sea level rise in the nation, according to LSU researchers. </p><p>Sea level is rising at a rate of 0.36 inches per year in southern Louisiana, which means relative sea level is rising 3 feet per century, according to LSU researchers. Because land is so low in south Louisiana, that could inundate some coastal communities.</p><p>“It is having a big impact, not only because the sea level has been rising, but because we've been sinking for years,” said Kerry St. Pé, director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program.</p><p>Some relocation is already happening in south Louisiana, as residents leave communities such as Isle de Jean Charles and Dulac in Terrebonne that have flooded repeatedly from storms, Gorman said.</p><p>“We've got our own climate migrants right now with the problems we're facing from sea level rise, subsidence and erosion,” Gorman said.</p><p>One of the tribal members says of the relocation, “If everybody moves, I think I'll be the last man to put my feet on the island before moving away.”</p><p>St. Pé said it's a phrase he's heard echoed in repeatedly flooded communities in the Barataria-Terrebonne estuary, which has one of the highest rate of land loss in the world. </p><p>“I was absolutely struck by the similarity between our situation and these islanders that are being inundated because of climate change. It hit home. It's extremely relevant,” St. Pé said.</p><p>While climate change has been politically controversial, St. Pé and Gorman said scientific consensus agrees that sea level is rising. </p><p>It is important to have a dialog about climate change in Terrebonne and Lafourche, where the impacts will be drastic, and may affect residents' ability to continue living here in the future.</p><p>“I hope we get a nice, diverse audience, from Nicholls students, to concerned adults, to skeptics,” Gorman said.</p><p>Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.</p>